Obama Administration Undermines Black Education

There have been many frauds of historic proportions — for example, the financial pyramid scheme for which Charles Ponzi was sent to prison in the 1920s, and for which Franklin D. Roosevelt was praised in the 1930s, when he called it Social Security. In our own times, Bernie Madoff’s hoax has made headlines.

But the biggest hoax of the past two generations is still going strong — namely, the hoax that statistical differences in outcomes for different groups are due to the way other people treat those groups.

The latest example of this hoax is the joint crusade of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice against schools that discipline black males more often than other students. According to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, this disparity in punishment violates the “promise” of “equity.”

Just who made this promise remains unclear, and why equity should mean equal outcomes despite differences in behavior is even more unclear. This crusade by Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is only the latest in a long line of fraudulent arguments based on statistics.

If black males get punished more often than Asian American females, does that mean that it is somebody else’s fault? That it is impossible that black males are behaving differently from Asian American females? Nobody in his right mind believes that. But that is the unspoken premise, without which the punishment statistics prove nothing about “equity.”

What is the purpose or effect of this whole exercise by the Department of Education and the Department of Justice? To help black students or to secure the black vote in an election year by seeming to be coming to the rescue of blacks from white oppression?

Among the many serious problems of ghetto schools is the legal difficulty of getting rid of disruptive hoodlums, a mere handful of whom can be enough to destroy the education of a far larger number of other black students — and with it destroy their chances for a better life.

Judges have already imposed too many legalistic procedures on schools that are more appropriate for a courtroom.

“Due process” rules that are essential for courts can readily become “undue process” in a school setting, when letting clowns and thugs run amok, while legalistic procedures to suspend or expel them drag on. It is a formula for educational and social disaster.

Education is about achievment, not equality of outcomes. Different people will achieve different levels of success.

Yet another symptom of Obama's determination to see his deepest beliefs and biases realized.

maturin20

Surely correct. Yet it's difficult to imagine contemporary US politics without these statistics games. You find what you look for.

Bamaguje

Next they'll demand release of all jailed Black criminals, since there are more Blacks in prison.
Thankfully not all of us Blacks are fooled.
Brother Sowell, do not relent in telling the truth to the deluded corrupt powers whose idiotic condescending policies are keeping our people down.

Anthony

In he end, blacks will have to accept he fact that whitey is now a minority, and the new hispanic majority won’t care to listen to their cries of “racism”.

It is pointless to fight anymore. White people are discriminated against and hounded by those with a stake in the race industry, while blacks are promoted and celebrated as demigods and given unfair status In society just because of their race.

I see the potential for the tyranny of the minority to enter a new and even more pro-black, anti-white phase.

Gunner57

Blacks vote almost exclusively Democray and support racism against white people. Until that changes, all I want to do is defend my family from these wicked people.

Ghostwriter

What are you? A Klan member? You just give others more reason to call conservatives racist. Not every black person in America is a Democrat. Look at Alan West. You're a hateful human being Gunner57.

Sound&Fury

Requiring equal outcomes is a subtle form of racism by giving black males a pass because they are incapable of behaving like the rest of us in civilized society.

Sure, He wants to keep them dumb and on the plantation. Education and intelligence breeds independence and a person who can stand on their own without government help! Read BlackLash by Deneen Borelli..She Nails this administration on what they are doing!

PDK

Excellent post Dr. Sowell.
As I have seen it for more years than I can remember, both white and black liberal/democrat leaders have fanned the flame of prejudice and racism as one of their prime means for achieving their want of power, fame and fortune. What they have done to blacks and America as a whole is beyond shameful.
Blaming the tool of justice as racist, and freeing the culprit from his fair punishment and his personal duty of responsibility to mature is of course the proverbial recipe for disaster.
However liberal democrat leaders are not in the game for their country or humanity, they are in it for themselves and at the expense of everyone else. This is such a liberal trait in general, reflecting immaturity and selfishness, and worse hanging the blame of their action around the neck of those totally innocent of the immorality and in fact those who are tyring to help extinguish this negative problem bringing a new positivity to America.
One and done. Nobama 2012, vote republican. Thank you.

Oleg

So what if the school is in a black neighborhood with black teachers and a black principal, is it still racist for the school to punish or expell the troublemakers. Arne Duncan apparently did an excellent job of destroying the public schools in Chicago as a superintendent, now they are near the bottom in ratings. The Obama Whitehouse is the MSNBC of government, take any idiot, failure, or washed up leftest crackpot from the 60's/70's and give them a job.

kafir4life

I'm hopeful that Obama is vetted this time around. It will be interesting to see if they investigate Obama's family role in the slave trade. Apparently, there is more of a relation between Him and the first lady than marriage. Barrack does not share the history that most Blacks in this country share. His ancestors were the "victors" in the inter-muslim battles of the day, and sold Moochella's family to slave traders (a very common practice among muslims to sell muslims that weren't the right "type" of muslim, or not muslim "enough"). Before selling the females tho', they did a little victory "dance" which resulted in Moochies' genetic line. You ever wonder why they look so much alike? That's why.

vladdy

This is part of the intimidation of the obama administration, the idea that they will accuse the rest of us of racism against blacks to the point that when it really does happen (recent beat-downs, "polar-bear-hunting," etc.), we will be afraid to speak up.